Refrigerator



March 13, 1934. HIIHQFFIBERGER 1,951,365

REFRIGERATOR Filed Feb. 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6 ll J7 REFRIGERATORFiied Feb. 1a,, 1933 R 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SKcW Fatenteoi Mar. 13, 1934LBSLWE REFRIIGERA'EOR Jacob H. Hofiberger, Baltimore, Md, assignor to'ilhe 8. llilofiberger ()ompany, Baltimcre, Md, a corporation ofMaryland Application February 13, 1933, Serial No. 656.5741

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerators, particularly those employingice, either dry or water ice, as the source of refrigeration, and ismore particularly concerned with refrigerators in which temperatureregulation control is desirable to maintain substantially uniformtemperatures therein.

In the prior art considering refrigerators having the usual type of icecompartment, circulation of air through the ice compartment has alwaysbeen sought first to cool or refrigerate the air be-- fore it passesback into the food compartment,

and also because some washing effect is obtained for purifying the airwhich thus circulates in the refrigerator.

Such priorart refrigerators have been relatively inefficient due to thelarge consumption of ice,

and also because substantially uniform temperature is not maintainedtherein, the temperature varying materially with the quantity of ice inthe refrigerator.

Among the objects and advantages of the present invention are to befound refrigerator structures in which the temperature may be keptsubstantially uniform while requiring minimum con sumption of ice forthis purpose.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention includerefrigerator structures in which as a preferred embodiment, circulationof the air from the food chamber into the ice compartment is prevented.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the more detaileddescription set forth below, it being understood, however, that thismore de tailed description is given by way of illustration andexplanation only, and not by way of limitation, since various changesmay be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the present invention.

In connection with that detailed description there is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an ice refrigeratorconstructed in accordance with the present invention; in V Figure 2 afragmentary sectional view along the lines 2--2 of Figure 1; in

Figure 3 a detail view of the temperature regulator employed; in

Figure 4 a detail view of another perature regulator; and in Figure 5,an ice refrigerator equipped with the temperature regulator of Figure 4in one manner of utilization thereof.

In carrying out the present invention, a refrigerator of the usual icecompartment type is emform of tem- (en. ta i6 ployed, but the icecompartment is sealed against any substantial entry of air from the foodcom= partment, so that there is no substantial circula= tion of air fromthe food compartment into the. ice compartment, nor from the icecompartment fill into the food compartment. This use of a sub=stantially sealed ice compartment, sealed against any substantial entryof air, is utilized in order to control more efficiently, thetemperature main tained in the refrigerator with a minimum consumptionof ice. I

The invention may be employed in connection with any type of icecompartment refrigerator and is illustrated in the drawings by that typeof refrigerator having an ice compartment stationed iii above the foodcompartment. In this form of refrigerator, illustrating the presentinvention, the refrigerator is represented generally by the numeral 1,having the usual doors 2- and 3 respectively opening into the icecompartment A M and the food compartment B.

In the invention illustrated herein, the ice compartment A is sealedagainst any substantial entry of air from the food compartment. For thispurpose a plate P serves as the floor of the ice comso partment, andpreferably consists of a continu ous metallic element as shown in Figure3. The plate P may simply rest on supporting shoulders 5, 6, 7 and 8extending completely around the inner walls of the refrigerator, so thatthe cones tinuous metallic plate P by resting on the continuous ledges5, 6, 7 and 8, substantially seals the ice compartment A against anyentry of air from the food compartment B. Of course, any other means ofsupporting the plate to constitute the so floor of the ice compartmentmay be employed.

This metallic plate P constituting the floor of the ice compartment actsas a temperature regulator. It may consist of a -flat metallic plate,but is desirably provided with depending fins F as angularly disposedwith respect to the face of the plate P, and extending toward the foodcompartment. These fins Fdesirably of metal, serve to increase themetallic surfaces cooled by the ice in the compartment A, and exposed tothe air in lilo the food compartment B. As shown, these depending fins Fmay be distributed over the undersurface of the plate P any desirablenumber being employed, depending on the temperature tained rearwardly ofthe ice compartment than forwardly thereof. This feature particularlycombined with the plate P mounted in a slightly inclined manner as shownin Figure 1, with the plate P slanting downwardly toward the rear wallof the ice compartment, serves to retain any block of ice toward therear portion of the refrigerator. Furthermore, by having a somewhatgreater cooling effect located along one portion of the undersurface ofthe plate by the structure as shown herein, a circulation of air withinthe food compartment and up against the fins otthe plate and intocontact with the plate itself is more efiiciently obtained. The plate Pmay desirably be supplied with one or more waste water outlets 9 and 10,carrying lips 11 and 12 for directing any waste water which forms bymelting of the ice, onto the waste water'drain pan 13, the latterdirecting such waste water into the usual waste water outlet 14.

Considering the structure set forth in the draw: ings and describedabove, it will be noted that the ice compartment A is substantiallysealed against the entry of air from the food compartment B. By thussealing the ice compartment against entry of air from the foodcompartment, it has been found that a more efiicient control oftemperature may be secured with a minimum consumption of ice, whetherdry or water ice, placed in the ice compartment A. The air from the foodcompartment B circulates within the food compartment into contact withthe forward end of the plate P, and thence along the underside of theplate P, also into contact with the dependent fins F, descending thenalong the rearward portion of the food compartment B. In this way,substantial circulation of the air within the food compartment B isobtained, the air coming into contact with the chilled surfaces of theplate P and any dependent fins F, becoming refrigerated, and thencooling the food in the food compartment B. Very efiicient control ofthe temperature in the refrigerator is thus maintained, and it has beenfound very substantially the consumption of ice therein.

Due to the circulation of the air within the food compartment B alongthe undersurface of the plate P and into contact with the fins F, somecondensation of moisture is produced, which moisture falls onto thewaste water pan 13 and is carried into the'usual outlet 14. The aircirculating between the pan 13 and the plate P comes into contact withthis moisture and is sufiiciently washed, thereby carrying off anyodors, etc.

The plate P has been found to ma ntain the desired refrigeration withoutany necessary use of the fins F, although the latter may be employed,and may actually be utilized to control the degrees of temperature byincreasing the number of fins or decreasing such number, or varying thesize or depth of them. Variation of the thickness of the plate P may beused as a means of temperature control. Desirably the plate P anddependent fins F may be made of some metal of high heat conductivity,such as aluminum alloy 38, or copper alloy, although any desiredmetallic composition may be employed for this purpose.

Very efiicient temperature control is thus maintained. Even when thequantity of ice in the ice compartment is substantially reduced, as longas there is some substantial quantity of ice therein, the contact ofthat ice with the metallic plate P maintains a substantially uniformtemperature in the food compartment B. even though the quantity in theice compartment may vary over relatively wide This results because ofthe use of the substantially continuous metallic plate as the fioor ofthe ice compartment wherein the ice contacts with that plate.

The plate P may be made a rigid immovable element or floor of the icecompartment, but desirably is shown as a removable fioor restingon thesupporting ledges. Such form of the device enables it to be readilyutilized in the usual type of refrigerator and also permits removalreadily for cleaning, etc.

In Figure 4 another type of temperature regu-= later is shown in whichinstead of flat fins F as shown in Figure 3, the depending lugs may takethe form of small pipes F welded or otherwise attached to the plate P,the latter again preferably being a continuous metallic element. Thetemperature regulator of the form shown in Figure 4 with the lugs in theform of small pipes projecting preferably at right angles to theundersurface of the plate P, may be utilized in the structure shown inFigure 1 in lieu of the plate P with depending fins F. In this event,the plate will be of a size so that when resting on the ledges 5, 6, 7ands, the plate P will constitute the fioor of the icecompartmententirely sealing the same against the entry of air from thefood compartment B. 7 1

As indicated above," in carrying out the present invention, the use ofan ice compartment sealed against the entry of air from the foodcompartment isthe most desirable form of the invention. In such astructure where the entry of air from the food compartment into the icecompartment is prevented, there is a minimum consumption of 1,10 ice.And while as stated, this is the most desirable form of the invention,these temperature regulators in various forms, such as those illustratedin Figures 3 and 4, may be employed in ice compartments without sealingthe ice compartment against the entry of air from the food eompartment.This form of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5, which shows anice box type of refrigerator in which the temperature regulator ofFigure 4 provided with legs L, L' is adapted to rest on the fioor 10' ofthe ordinary refrigerator. In this event, as noted, the plates P or P'are desirably provided with legs L, L' as shown in Figure 4, so that thelegs support the plate P or P' above theusual air inlet opening 12' inthe floor of the ice compartment. In this form of the invention,temperature regulation is again obtained due to the contact of the icein the ice compartment with the metal plate P, the air coming directlyin contact with the underface of the plate 13) P and the depending lugsF by which the air is substantially cooled before it even enters the icecompartment. The air then circulates into contact with the ice in theice compartment where it is washed, andthen passm in the usual way tothe upper portion of the food compartment. In such structures where theice compartment is not sealed against the entry of air from the foodcompartment, lower temperatures can be obtained with the same types ofstructures than in those cases where the ice compartment is sealedagainst the entry of air from the food compartment; but these lowertemperatures thus obtained are ob-' tained with a. greater consumptionof ice than that consumed when the ice compartment Is sealed against theentry of any substantial amount of air from the food compartment.

. The form of the invention where the ice compartment is completelysealed against the entry of air from the food compartment is, therefore,

menace the preferred form, because the temperature is satisfactorilymaintained at the low degree de' sired for ordinary refrigeration, witha we coption of ice.

it will be understood that where the plate with dependent fins or iugsis utilized without sealing the ice compartment against the entry of airfrom the food compartment, the plate will desirably he provided withlegs as indicated in Figure 4 to support the plate at the distance aboveerator cars on railroads, or in refrigerating trucks and automobilesused for transporting perishable articles of food, etc, or in any otherdesired structure. When employed in refrigerator cars or automobiletrucks, the temperature regulator in the form of the plate deviceillustrated herein,

wilrusually constitute the iioor of a bunker compartment in therefrigerating structure.

Where dry ice is used in the refrigerators in connection with thepresent invention, particularly in the home type of refrigerator,thermostatic control of the temperature may be utilized in order tomaintain the temperature in the food compartment at the desired point.

Having thus set forth my invention, I claim:

A removable and replaceable temperature regulator for refrigeratorshaving the usual ice com= partment, said regulator comprising a metallicplate for directly and substantially sealing said ice compartmentagainst the entry of air from the food compartment, said plate carryingmetalvlic fins angularly disposed with respect thereto for increasingthe radiating surface of said plate,

the metallic fins'being exposed toward the food compartment, themetallic plate in size corresponding with the cross section of a fiooropening of the ice compartment with which it is to be used, so that whenplaced in position, the plate seals the ice compartment against entry ofair from the food compartment, but said plate may thereby be removedwhen desired from the ice compartment of the refrigerator in which it isplaced.

JACOB H. HOFFBERGER.

